My Life's Work
by Loveedith
Summary: Edith and Anthony, the day after the jilting. One-shot about the extra scene in the American version. In all my other stories I go with the UK/Swedish version, and that Edith/Anthony conversation never happens.


The day after her wedding, that wedding that had changed yesterday from the happiest day in her life to the saddest, Edith got out of bed and had breakfast, answering all worried inquires with: "I'm fine!"

She told people she needed to take a walk. Ten minutes later she was on her way to Locksley. She had had a whole night without any sleep to think this over.

When she came to Locksley, Sir Anthony's butler wouldn't let her in.

"He has told me he doesn't want to see anyone", he told her.

"Tell him he has to see me. He has to explain to me what happened yesterday. If he doesn't see me I wait outside until he does."

The butler let her into the hallway. She stood there waiting while the old man went to the library - where else would Anthony be - and disappeared into it.

Edith had never been so nervous in her life. She had never had so much to lose. But really, she had already lost him. So actually she had never had so much to gain.

After a short while the butler returned.

"He has agreed to see you, My lady."

When she got into the library he got up from his chair. He seemed to be in a terrible state. His eyes were red, like if he had cried all night, and they still looked a little wet, as if he had just wiped them off. It was obvious he was as unhappy as she was about what happened yesterday.

"Lady Edith", he said - so he had gone back to that. "Please sit down. Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you, I just had breakfast. All I want is an explanation. And then I will explain to you. After that I want you to go with me to Reverend Travis and ask him to finish that ceremony. We still have the marriage permit, and I know there is a room ready for our wedding night upstairs, and we can start on our honeymoon a day late."

He looked at her incredulously.

"Why did you do that?" she continued. "Why did you leave me at the altar? Don't you understand that there is nothing worse you can do to a woman than leaving her at the altar, in front of all her friends and relatives? And I know you are a good man. So why?"

"I thought I explained it to you. I couldn't let you throw away your life on me."

"But I am not throwing away my life. Married to you I will be _getting_ a life. I will be mistress of my own house, I will live with someone who loves me. And don't deny that you love me! You called me your dearest darling!"

"But still, it is obvious that your father and grandmother don't approve."

"I am of age, Anthony. As long as I approve and you approve, there is no reason for us not to marry. Don't worry about Papa and Granny. They will come around. After all, they have accepted Tom."

"And there was something you said..."

Well, that was what she had thought. She hadn't worded that at all well.

"I don't love you in spite of your needing to be looked after. I love you because of it. I want you to be my life's work." she said. "Is that what you mean?"

"Yes! I don't want you to take care of me you see, I want to take care of myself. And I hate my injury, I would much rather be like I was before the war."

"I know I said that in a bad way. Of course I am sorry that you hurt your arm. But I'm so proud of you also, you are a war hero! You fought in that war when many younger men were cowards. I never meant that I was happy you were injured! But I think we can have a happy married life together in spite of that. Don't you?"

He smiled at that thought, it looked like she was getting through to him.

"And the most important thing I said in that sentence was that I love you."

"I love you too, Edith. But I don't want to be a nuisance to you."

"Well, you know that you aren't right now. And judging by the way you walked out of church, it will be many years until you wont be able to walk, if ever. Granny is at least twenty-five years older than you and she can still manage. Who knows what will happen in life, but I will gladly help you, if you will ever need help. And I hope you will help me too, whenever I will need it. Isn't that what husbands and wives are for?"

He thought it over for a while. She wanted to give him time to think it over, so she didn't say anything more.

"Alright. If you are sure?" he answered at last.

"I am sure that I will be happy now if you marry me. I want to marry you and come back here and make love to you and go on our honeymoon with you and come back with you and be the lady of your house and have your children, if we are so lucky. And I am sure you have many healthy years ahead of you!"

So he got over and sat down on the sofa beside her. He put his good arm around her and gave her a very long, tender kiss.

...

Reverend Travis was very surprised to see them, but he didn't object to getting through with the ceremony on a much smaller scale than the day before. They were married at eleven that morning. Eleven thirty they went to Downton and told her parents and sisters. Everyone was too surprised to say much more than: "Congratulations!"

The Dowager Countess was a little more outspoken when they got home to her to tell her the happy news.

"Oh Edith, so you went and married him anyway! How can you be so stupid! Well, I guess it is too late to do anything about it then. So if you are sure it is what you want..."

"I am sure", Edith said with a happy smile. "And I knew all along that you would support us!"

...

AN: Thank you for reading!

I have spent a day denying that Edith ever said those words, since I never saw them played out on screen, and I thought it was a terrible thing to say. They weren't in the version showed here, and I'm happy about that. But then I read a discussion where someone said that Edith was only being patriotic, she loved his injury because he had got it in the war and it made her proud of him for fighting in it.

And Edith has always had a tendency to say the wrong thing. Or maybe the right thing in the wrong way. Just remember: "If you think I'm going to give up on someone who calls me lovely!"

There was something even more terrible for Anthony cut out from the UK version. The conversation between Robert, Tom, Matthew and Anthony after dinner starts with Robert saying 'it is a relief to have some men in the family at last'. And after that Robert tells Anthony he is only resigned to Anthony marrying Edith! So Anthony must feel Robert doesn't include Anthony in the category of men!


End file.
